Cataract

As we age, falls become a leading cause of injury among older adults, often resulting in significant health complications, reduced independence and subsequently, isolation. While various factors do contribute to falls, impaired vision particularly from cataracts, also plays a crucial role.

Lenses are best categorised by their function, in other words how much of a range of focus do they provide?

A cataract is an eye condition where the focusing lens in the eye becomes cloudy and interferes with vision. With increasing age, the lens begins to harden, causing problems for seeing near (presbyopia), and eventually becomes cloudy blurring vision.

Cataract surgery is indicated when the clouded lens significantly impairs vision, reducing it below the DVLA standard for safe driving. This criterion is used by the NHS and accepted by insurance companies for coverage.

Our laser cataract surgery and one-stop cataract service both restore clear vision, here’s a quick guide to help you understand each option. To address long NHS waiting lists and serve the community, Centre for Sight launched a One-Stop Cataract Service.

Advanced medical procedures like laser cataract surgery have come a very long way from their ancient origins. Yet, over 4000 years ago, our ancestors had crude techniques to improve the sight of people suffering from chitta motia (the modern Urdu word for cataracts, literally translated as “white blindness”).

Cataract surgery is probably one of the oldest surgical procedures known to man and it has come a long way since its ancient origins. Chitta mottia, translated from modern Urdu as “white blindness”, was treated by our ancestors with techniques that will make you cringe nowadays, and that were definitely life threatening.